One of the questions surrounding the Mets’ 2016-2017 offseason is, “What the heck are the Mets going to do at second base?” There are certainly many options, a popular one being to bring back Neil Walker, who played very well before having his season cut short by back surgery. There were many injuries like his that ravaged the Mets in 2016, however there were also many pleasant surprises as well. One surprise’s name is T.J. Rivera.

Rivera, who slashed .333/.345/.476 in 33 MLB games, showed a lot of versatility as an infielder as well. Specifically, he played an impressive second base, playing 26 games (170.2 innings) there and making zero errors in 78 chances. Paired up with Wilmer Flores, they could make a formidable platoon at second base.

Rivera would serve as the starter against right handed pitchers. He has had reverse splits in his career, meaning he hits better against righties than lefties. In his 33 MLB games, he has hit .386/.397/.600 of right-handed pitching, compared to .227/.227/.227 against left-handers. This is consistent with his career numbers, as in the Minor Leagues, he hit .329 against righties and .312 against lefties.

Wilmer Flores, though also a right-handed batter, has fared especially well against left-handed pitching. In his career, Flores has hit .268/.321/.509 against lefties and only .253/.287/.374 against righties. Since 2015, however, his splits have really started to improve against left-handers. In 214 plate appearances against lefties, he has hit .325/.369/.655 with a home run every 11.11 at bats. He has a better eye against lefty pitchers as well, drawing more walks (6.1% to 4.9%) and striking out less (12.1% to 13.5%).

At second base, T.J. Rivera has a career .979 FLD% in 2707.2 innings, and Wilmer Flores has a career .990 FLD% in 576.0 innings. They have both shown that they can play a solid defensive second base, and they have value elsewhere as they can both play virtually any infield position. If one is needed to fill in for David Wright, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jose Reyes, or any other infielder that needs a day off, the other can start at second in his stead.

It seems to make sense to have these two platooning at second base. If the Mets can go out and get a star-caliber second baseman, like Ian Kinsler or Brian Dozier, that would be great. However, if that can’t happen, the Mets could have a viable option at the keystone in T.J. Rivera and Wilmer Flores.

Good Morning, everyone. I wanted to put together an offseason planner and I included some upcoming important dates to remember. Essentially what follows is a summary I compiled of our 2017 Payroll Commitments, Arbitration Eligible Players and Free Agents, along with some observations and a current payroll projection.

Important Dates

Five days after World Series: Deadline for teams to make qualifying offers to their eligible former players who became free agents

12 days after World Series: Deadline for free agents to accept qualifying offers

Dec. 2: Last day for teams to offer 2017 contracts to unsigned players on their 40-man rosters

2017 Team Options

The Mets are expected to exercise their team options on Jay Bruce and Jose Reyes. However, there’s no chance Jon Niese returns and the Mets will only be responsible for the buyout amount. It’s a safe bet to add $14.1 million to the current projected payroll.

The number in parenthesis represents each player’s 2016 salary while the second number is the projected salary for the 2017 by MLB Trade Rumors. In 2016 these 12 players earned $21.6 million dollars. That number is projected to climb to $46.8 million.

The most significant increases will go to Addison Reed who will get a $5.8 million raise, Jeurys Familia will see his salary increase by $4.7 million, and Jacob deGrom who gets a $3.9 million bump. Lucas Duda, who missed most of the season, will get a $2.5 million raise.

According to reports, the Mets are expected to make Neil Walker a $16.7 million qualifying offer. Aside from Yoenis Cespedes, who the Mets will try to re-sign to a multi-year contract, it’s not yet clear if any of the other players will be returning. I’m betting that Bartolo Colon will return for one more year at roughly $11 million dollars.

So if you were to total the figures from the guaranteed contracts, team options and projected arbitration amounts, we get a total of $108,650,000 in approximate payroll for 18 players. That figure does not include Walker, Cespedes or Colon who would add another roughly $55 million to bring payroll above $160 million..

It leads to a lot of different questions. Do the Mets decide not to pick up the option on Jay Bruce given the outfield logjam? Do the Mets give serious thought to non-tendering Lucas Duda and hope he re-signs for much less than the $6.7 million dollars? Do they reconsider their initial stance of giving Neil Walker a qualifying offer and stick with T.J. Rivera? So many questions, so little time. Stay tuned.

For the second time in a week, Terry Collins made a costly decision that may have lead to another loss. The Mets are at a time of year where they cannot afford to throw away any games.

In Monday’s 8-1 loss to the Washington Nationals, Collins opted to let Rafael Montero hit for himself in the second with two runners on base and two outs. The former prized pitching prospect was coming off a tough first inning where he allowed two runs while throwing 37-pitches and walking three batters.

Montero clearly did not have it Monday night. With the opportunity of men on base and a bullpen that consists of what seems a million pitchers, it was a good opportunity to pinch-hit for a player who should not have been starting this game in the first place. The manager of course though left him in and he would strikeout, stranding two baserunners.

In the third, Montero would allow homers to the opposing pitcher, Mat Latos as well as Anthony Rendon. The Mets were trailing by a score of 6-1 when Montero was finally pulled with two outs in the second for Gabriel Ynoa. Collins left Montero in, hoping for the best.

“I wanted to see if the other kid could settle down and pitch,” Collins said. “That was another part of it. That’s the decision we made.”

The decision that would completely take the team out of the game. Luckily for the Mets though both the Cardinals and Giants would lose their respective games. The Mets would stay ahead of St. Louis for the second Wild Card spot by a half game while only trailing San Francisco by a game and a half for the top spot.

As for Montero, Collins admits that his time in the rotation is done, maybe one start too soon. It is not yet known though who will replace him at this point.

“I don’t know who yet, but we’ll make a switch,” Collins said.

The Mets manager has had a rough week as just days prior he admitted to a mistake that cost the team a game in Atlanta. This past Saturday he declined to pinch-run for the not so speedy, Wilmer Flores. T.J. Riverawould single, giving the Mets an opportunity to tie the game but Flores would be gunned down at the plate, injuring his neck in the process. Flores has yet to play since the incident.

The Mets are at a time when mistakes cannot be made, not by the players or the manager.

Neil Walker told reporters that after seriously deliberating his situation and considering the advice of several doctors, he made the difficult decision to end his season and have surgery to repair the herniated disc in his back which also caused numbing in one of his toes.

The surgery typically has a three-month recovery, and Walker said he wrestled with the decision because he wanted “nothing more than to be on the field.”

“The more I tried to push through it, the more I realized I was hurting the team and myself,” Walker said.

Mets doctors advised him that he could continue playing through it but other doctors warned against it, telling him he could worsen the condition and possibly jeopardize his career.

“After two or three eyes on the MRI, some of the best back specialists in the world, they’ve told me that the best course of action is to get it done now.”

We wish Neil a speedy recovery.

Previous Report – Aug 31

Mets second baseman Neil Walker met with doctors for a second opinion today and according to Terry Collins, he will opt for season ending back surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back.

Walker will address the media on Thursday, but essentially his season is over.

Earlier today, general manager Sandy Alderson explained that he has a herniated disk that is causing limited weakness in his foot — similar to in 2012 with the Pirates. But also added that team doctors believed he could play through it.

Huge blow! Wilmer Flores just became the most important infielder on the Mets tonight. And you could also kiss that qualifying offer to Neil Walker and the draft pick goodbye.

- – Joe D.

Original Report – Aug 30

Manager Terry Collins told reporters at Citi Field on Tuesday that second baseman Neil Walker will need to rest his back every few games whenever he eventually returns to the lineup. He is out of the starting lineup for a third consecutive game tonight.

Without providing any specifics, Collins cautioned that it’s possible Walker could be spending significant time on the bench for the remainder of the season. ”There’s a lot of concern about it,” Collins said.

“It’s going to certainly be something that he’s going to have to manage as he continues to play. If he gets back in the lineup, is he going to be an everyday guy? Yeah, but with days of rest mixed in. I think we’ll know more tomorrow how he’s going to handle it. But will he play five, six days in a row? No.” (MLB.com)

Walker has been dealing with a chronic lower-back issue that goes back to last August when he was with the Pittsburgh Pirated, and has caused him to miss a few chunks of time over the past two seasons.

When Collins was asked if he was worried about losing Walker for the rest of the season, he responded:

“Not just yet,” Collins said. “There’s always a possibility. He’s had tests. He’s seen a doctor. It’s just another day of rest. …So we’ll see how he’s feeling tomorrow.”

Both Wilmer Flores and Kelly Johnson have logged some time at second base and Collins will continue to rely on them when Walker is out of the lineup. Utility infielder T.J. Rivera will also see some time once rosters expand on Thursday.

Walker, 30, has been one of the team’s most productive players, batting .408 with seven home runs and 14 RBI since July 31. He has 23 homeruns and an .823 OPS in his first season with the Mets. He is a free agent at the end of the 2016 season.

Yet again for Wilmer Flores, another injury brings another opportunity. With the news breaking that Neil Walkerwill opt for season-ending surgery, Flores is again expected to receive regular playing time.

Flores, who mainly has only been starting against left-handed pitching due to his splits will now also see time against some right-handers as well. He started last night against RHP Jake Esch and had a productive night at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a two-run jack that put the Mets up by a score of 2-1 early in the game. Manager, Terry Collinshas let his team know as injuries continue to mount, now is not the time to get down on themselves.

“There’s always stuff from the outside that gets in there that can take the focus away from the plan — ‘well, woe is you; boy, you’ve got this guy hurt’ — instead of just concentrating on playing.”

“When you start to get the pieces back, all of a sudden the attitude is, ‘We’re starting to get our guys back again. We can get some things done.’ And they’ve just played much better when that’s happened.” (ESPN)

The loss of Walker can not be understated as he has been a leader on this team. He has somewhat filled the shoes of David Wright, always being the go to guy for the media to speak with after a tough loss as well as a leader on the field. Flores has some big shoes to fill.

Flores has begun to hit right-handed pitching better as well, just at the right time. He is currently on a nine game hitting streak, the best of his career. On his current streak, Flores is batting .333 with one double, three home runs, 12 RBI and eight runs scored. Overall on the season he has hit to a .267/.320/.469 split with 15 homers and 47 RBI.

As the team enters this final month of the season, the time for everyone to shine is now. Flores has a knack for hitting in the clutch, something they will need often as they head down this September stretch run.

Yoenis Cespedes set Citi Field on fire with a walk off homerun in the bottom of the 10th to bring the New York Mets even with the slumping Miami Marlins in the Wild Card standings, just 2.5 games behind the front-running St. Louis Cardinals.

Returning to the line-up after missing Sunday’s painful loss, Cespedes and his questionable quad gave the Mets a much needed 2-1 win, proving that a trip back to the playoffs will not be feasible without him.

“Every time I see Cespedes at home plate, I feel like he’s going to hit a homer,” said teammate Jose Reyes. “That’s the way that I feel in the dugout. I’m sure the other guys feel the same way. …It’s unbelievable what he can do on the baseball field. Basically he can do whatever he wants to when he wants to. It’s good to see. We’re going to need him.”

Rafael Montero, filling in for the roughed up and in need of rest Jacob deGrom, made the most of his starting role, in light of the career high six walks he surrendered.

Making his first start since April 28, 2015, Montero lasted five erratic innings of 100 pitch ball, allowing just two hits, striking out three, but more importantly no runs, keeping pace with Marlins ace Jose Fernandez who entered with a 3-0, 1.54 ERA in his seven previous starts against the Mets.

Fernandez also struggled with his control, giving up 3 hits, walking 4 (one intentional) giving NY numerous opportunities to score with multiple runners on base. And with failed attempts by Curtis Granderson, James Loney, and Wilmer Flores, it appeared that this was not going to be a happy ending for the home team.

But Montero got some help out of his own hot water, after loading the bases in the 4th with a hit and a couple of walks, Kelly Johnson made a clutch grab of Fernandez’s sharp grounder to third for the final out of the inning.

After Reed recorded the first two outs, he couldn’t escape a single turned into a double by the still speedy 42-year old Ichiro Suzuki, who one batter later broke the scoreless tie, on Xavier Scruggs double to left.

The the other key to victory, team catalyst Jose Reyes, responded in the bottom of the inning with a lead off hit to right that ironically became a double on a ball that scooted by a sliding Suzuki. After Alejandro De Aza’s fly ball to left brought Reyes to third, a wild pitch by A.J. Ramos sent a head first diving Reyes to the plate with the tying and jarring run as the Mets shortstop was flattened in a violent collision. He would emerge unscathed.

And how about the recently added lefty Josh Smoker? He was smoking in the top of the 10th, retiring the side in order, paving the way for Cespedes’ heroic game winning blast.

It may not have looked pretty at the onset, with Jay Bruce, Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera all on the sidelines, a Double-A call-up making an emergency start, and the daunting task of facing Jose Fernandez, but the Mets persevered and came away with a signature statement victory in the opening act of a critical four-game series with the Fish.

“He’s that kind of player,” Terry Collins said Cespedes after the game. “You expect big things each and every time he goes up. He’s one of those guys people pay to see him play. They see him come up to bat and they know he can do something dangerous each and every time up. He’s a special guy. That’s why to keep him healthy is priority No. 1 at this moment.” (ESPN)

So in what has become an all too familiar script, Yoenis Cespedes carried the team to a huge win and sees his offseason price tag continue to soar like one of his majestic long balls.

Tuesday, rookie Seth Lugo, coming off his first MLB win against the Cards, with five shut out innings, will face off against NY born and raised right hander Tom Koehler for sole second position behind St Louis in the wild card.

The New York Mets (65-63) defeated the Philadelphia Phillies (59-69) by a score of 9-4 at Citi Field Friday evening.

Pitching:

Bartolo Colon was on the mound for the Mets tonight and he was terrific until he ran into trouble late in the game. Colon took a two-hitter into the eighth inning before finally running out of gas. All in all, Colon went 7 innings giving up four runs, walking two, and striking out six. His line really doesn’t do much justice for how well Colon pitched tonight.

Hansel Robles was able to come in and clean up Colon’s mess in the eighth by not allowing another base runner.

Sean Gilmartin tried to close the game out in the top of the ninth but he struggled. Gilmartin allowed a single and a walk before being removed from the game in favor of Jeurys Familia. Familia made quick work of the Phillies and got out the jam with ease to send the Mets home with a win.

Offense:

This is the closest the Mets have had to a full lineup in quite some time and it clearly showed. Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera wasted little time getting things started for the Mets in the bottom of the first inning. Reyes and Cabrera hit back to back home runs to give the Mets the early 2-0 lead before the Phillies were able to record their first out.

After the Phillies cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the fifth inning, Bartolo lead off the bottom of the inning with a double on a line drive to Aaron Altherr. Jose Reyes followed with a double of his own but Colon cautiously held up at third base. After Asdrubal Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedes both grounded out with Colon staying put at third, Neil Walker was able to draw a walk and load the bases with two out. Wilmer Flores finally made the Phillies pay by blasting a grand slam to left center field to blow the game open 6-1.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Mets were at it again. Alejandro De Aza, who had just come in for injured Justin Ruggiano, lead off the inning with a walk. Travis d’Arnaud followed with a double on a line drive to right fielder Peter Bourjos to score De Aza and make the score 7-1. Bartolo Colon followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Jose Reyes followed by hitting a fly ball out that Travis d’Arnaud decided to take a chance on but he was thrown out at the plate for a double play. Asdrubal Cabrera cashed in, however, by hitting his second home run of the game to make the score 9-1.

Notes:

The Mets activated Neil Walker from the paternity list today while optioning T.J. Rivera back to Vegas.

The Mets have now won 5 of their last 6 games.

Bartolo Colon becomes the 64th pitcher in MLB history to have at least 230 career wins.

JZ Player of the game: Wilmer Flores. Colon, Cabrera, and Reyes are all worthy candidates but Flores really busted this game wide open with his bases-loaded grand slam with two outs in the fifth inning. Just how good exactly is Wilmer Flores against left-handed pitching?

On Deck:

The Mets will play their second game of a three-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field tomorrow evening. The game has a start time of 7:10 PM. Noah Syndergaard (11-7, 2.61 ERA) looks to keep the Mets rolling against Jeremy Hellickson (10-7, 3.60 ERA).

Wilmer Flores and Justin Ruggiano continue to mash left-handed pitching. The two provided big homers for the Mets in their 7-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in what has become the team’s biggest series of the season thus far.

Flores got it going for the Mets early, providing a three-run blast in the first, staking the Mets to a nice lead. The cult hero has put up big numbers against lefty’s this year, hitting to a .344/.392/.678 slash line. He has also accumulated nine homers and 22 RBI against southpaws this season. Overall on the year he is hitting to a .259./.315/.447 slash with 13 homers and 39 RBI.

Ruggiano continues to rake for the Mets, feasting on left-handers himself. He hit a monster solo-shot in the fourth off of Cardinals starter, Jaime Garcia. Ruggiano is 8-for-21 this season with two homers and seven RBI. It is a small sample size but he has shown his ability to be a force in this lineup when needed.

The Mets find themselves right back in the thick of things with a chance to continue to gain ground on the second Wild-Card spot. It is right there within the team’s grasp if they continue to play the way they currently are.

I’m one of the biggest Wilmer Flores fans you’ll ever know, but for crying out loud when will Terry Collins come to his senses and realize that he should only be limited to starting against left-handed pitchers and never, ever, should he be playing shortstop?

Why was Flores in the starting lineup on Wednesday given his incredibly awful numbers against right-handed pitching? And why was he playing shortstop when a perfectly adept Matt Reynolds was on the bench and riding back to back solid games since being called up on Monday?

Reynolds has played an excellent shortstop and he gets benched after going 4-for-8 with a double, a homer, two runs scored and four RBI in the first two games of the Subway Series? Why God, why?

At what point do Flores’ splits matter? He is batting a stagnating .209 /.274/.331 vs RHP this season while sporting a tremendous .348/.392/.696 triple-slash vs LHP.

Thanks to another questionable decision by Terry Collins that defied logic, Wilmer Flores does the predictable last night, striking out twice and snuffing out two potentially huge scoring rallies with inning ending double plays, leaving five runners stranded.

And on top of that, he muffs two plays at shortstop while lobbing another two lolly pops to James Loney at first base, all in all costing the Mets three of those Yankees runs just on defense.

Flores was a one-man wrecking crew in last night’s loss and that’s all on Collins who consistently sets up his players to fail rather than succeed. Now the Mets find themselves sitting at a season-high 8.5 games out of first place, while losing more precious ground in the Wild Card standings and allowing teams like the Rockies and Pirates to enter the fray which already had the Marlins and Cardinals ahead of us.

Whenever Collins is grilled about one of his eyebrow-raising lineup decisions, he almost always famously responds, “We needed to get Player X going.” I think it’s time Sandy Alderson gets Terry Collins going.

During Saturday night’s 7-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies, Wilmer Flores hit what looked like his 11th home run of the season, a deep shot to left field to lead off the ninth inning.

However, as left fielder David Dahl went back to the wall to try and catch it, a young fan reached over the fence and caught the ball.

The third-base umpire Chris Guccione ruled it a home run, but as Flores circled the bases, Dahl and Charlie Blackmon were shouting that the fan interfered and Rockies manager Walt Weiss came out to argue the call, leading to a video review.

Meanwhile the fan who caught the ball taunted Dahl and even gave him the Dikembe Mutombo “No, No, No” finger wag. He was escorted out of the park by security.

After a four minute wait, the replay umpires called Flores out, ruling that Dahl would have caught the ball without the interference.

Broadcasters Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez went into hysterics over the call, and Mets manager Terry Collins stormed out of the dugout to argue the decision, resulting in his ejection.

Meanwhile, a stunned Wilmer Flores couldn’t believe what had just unfolded. After the game, the usually reserved Mets infielder was letting it all out with a volley of f-bombs.

“Well, all I know, you can’t f’king assume,” Flores said. “You can’t assume he’s going to catch the ball. I don’t know what the rule is, but watching the video, you can’t f’king assume. He didn’t even reach for the ball. He didn’t even jump.”

Terry Collins agreed saying, ”I don’t understand how they can assume that ball is going to get caught.”

The ruling had no impact on the game’s outcome as the Mets went on to lose their fourth game in a row,

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Wilmer Flores is red hot. There is no denying it at this point. When he plays, he hits. Period, end of story. It is time for Terry Collins to go by his own mantra and play the man who continues to hit and sit those who have not.

Flores again in Wednesday’s 6-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs provided all the Mets offense on the day with a two-run shot. He has been not only the hottest Met this month, but one of the hottest players in the National League and nearly unstoppable.

“When you’re feeling good at the plate, you want to be out there every day,” Flores said. “I’m trying to find ways to stay ready whenever I’m not playing.” (NY Times)

“I know that my time will come, if it’s here or somewhere else. But I know my time will come. Right now, I’m just doing what I have to do whenever I’m in there.”

Sporadic playing time aside, Flores has put up gaudy numbers as of late. Over his last 15 games he has hit to a .292/.327/.750 slash line while smashing seven homers. He has produced 13 RBI and 10 runs scored in this torrid stretch as the Mets utility-man.

In the month of July, his slash is even more monstrous, sitting at .341/.378/.878. Flores, admittedly so, advised after the game that at times it is hard to not be discouraged.

“You try not to be discouraged because you obviously want to play,” Flores said. “Those are things you can’t control. You just wait for the opportunities.”

“We’re on a mission here and the goal is to win,” Flores added. “It doesn’t matter with who, it doesn’t matter how. At the end of the day all that matters is the win. Personally I like to win, I don’t care how.”

It is hard to ask anymore of the 24-year old Flores. He has done everything and then some as of late. He is expected to be in the starting lineup for the first game of the Marlins series as they send LHP Adam Conley to the mound.

In the month of July, Flores is tied with Max Kepler of the Minnesota Twins for the most homers at seven. You would think Terry Collins would find a way to get Flores’ bat in the lineup on a more consistent basis, at least while he continues crushing baseballs like he is right now.

But he seems committed to just starting him whenever a southpaw is on the mound for now. which is why he’s only started two of the last six games. “He’s doing damage,” Collins said. “But you’ve got to pick your spots.”

3 Up

1. Jose, Jose, Jose

Amidst all of the controversy with his return to the Mets, Jose Reyes has been solid at the leadoff spot, collecting five hits this series including three home runs and three RBI. Reyes has started every game since joining the team, and looks as though he is settling in just fine. In his 24 at-bats as a Met, Reyes has six hits and five of them are for extra-bases, two doubles and three home runs.

2. Go With The Flo

The legend of Wilmer Flores continues. Flores did not have a ton of at-bats in this series, but perhaps had the biggest one in their lone win. Continuing to come through in a big spot, Flores came up as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fifth and launched a three-run home run to give the Mets a one run lead. Flores, who lost his everyday third base job with the arrival of Jose Reyes, has perhaps been one of the Mets most consistent hitters as of late when he does play. Flores is hitting .500 (11-for-22) with a double, five home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs scored in his last seven games.

3. Matz Kept Mets in the Game

He may have taken the loss, but the Mets offense didn’t exactly do anything to helpSteven Matz out in Sunday’s series finale. He had a bit of a shaky start to the game, allowing a two-run home run to former Met and new villain Daniel Murphy, but then settled down and went seven strong innings while allowing three runs on six hits and striking five. Matz hasn’t allowed more than three runs in his last three starts and now carries a 7-5 record with a 3.38 ERA into the All Star break.

3 Down

1. The Offense Disappeared

Aside from the slugfest in the series opener, the Mets offense was held to just four runs in the remaining three games of the series, all of them losses. Two of those four runs came off the bat of Jose Reyes, with his two solo shots in Sunday’s loss. The offense went 1-9 with RISP in the final three games of the series, looking lifeless after their thrilling come from behind win on Thursday night. So not only did they continue their futility with runners in scoring position, but in this series they also failed to even get many runners into scoring position.

2. Injuries, Injuries, and More Injuries

On the same day the Mets received word that they would lose Matt Harvey for the rest of the season due to TOS, the Mets fell to more injuries later that night. Both Noah Syndergaard and Yoenis Cespedes exited Friday night’s game. Syndergaard’s injury seems less concerning than Cespedes’s, but both will be kept out of the All Star game on Tuesday night. On Sunday we also learned from Terry Collins that Lucas Duda is still not close to beginning a rehab assignment and that there is no timetable for Zack Wheeler to return. In a year where injuries have certainly plagued this Mets team, it seems as though it keeps getting worse.

3. Failure to Capitalize

In the final series before the All Star break against the division leader Washington Nationals, the second place Mets failed to gain any ground, in fact they lost some. Coming into the series the Mets were four games back and now they see themselves six games back heading into the break. It looked as though the Mets would show some fight this series after their thrilling come from behind win on Thursday night, but that was not to be the case. Instead the Mets looked dead and lacked energy through the next three games, and will now have to lick their wounds heading into the halfway point.

Reading through an old scouting report on Wilmer Flores that was written prior to his debut back in 2013, it becomes immediately apparent that his future value was rather transparent for a prospect. Despite knowing his strengths and weaknesses, the Mets front office has spent the last four seasons shifting the always cooperative cult icon all over the diamond.

The former top prospect has mainly been used as a temporary fix rather than a long term solution. As a result, it’s been rather difficult draw a firm conclusion as to whether we’ve seen it all, or if there’s more from the 24 year old Venezuelan. Interestingly enough, Flores has some tantalizing numbers at the plate, when his defensive positioning is more suitable to his physical strengths. With the return of Jose Reyes, his run at third base is in jeopardy, but perhaps that’s a short-sided approach by the Mets.

Wilmer’s first cup of coffee was a wash back in 2013. Defensively, he was still developing. There was conviction among a consensus of talent evaluators that he had the hands and arm strength to play on the left side of the field. The skepticism was related to his footwork and, rightfully so. When he got the call to fill in for David Wright back in 2013, he looked awkward. His feet often moved a click behind his body and more than once he stumbled to his knees attempting to make plays. He left that year behind with a lot of doubt as to where he’d find a home for his glove.

At the plate, he was hyped for his “…uncanny hand-eye coordination and exceptional feel for contact”. Scouts believe he possessed above average power good for “25-30 doubles and 15-18 home runs a year at the big-league level”. Now, to be clear, Flores was never on the same level as a Carlos Correa or Francisco Lindor, but his ’13 output of .211/.248/.295 never exactly blew anyone’s hair back. Many may disagree with this view, but it seemed as though he was not ready to fill in the Captain’s shoes. Fast forward to 2014, the beginning of the shortstop experiment.

With a lack of viable and cost-controlled middle infield options, the Mets went against the grain and gave Flores an extended look at shortstop. It went about as well as any previous scouting report would have indicated. “Though he was signed as a shortstop, he lacks the lateral quickness and instincts for the position”. Brutally honest, but that statement carries a lot of truth.

With the exception of an unbelievable run at shortstop throughout last year’s playoffs (credit where credit is due), Flores has always appeared to be overwhelmed by the daily physical demands that come with arguably the toughest position in baseball. Offensively, we all saw more of the same production at the plate that was there in ’13. Little ability to make contact, low on-base percentage and nearly non-existent power.

Then as the ’14 season winded down, Wilmer was given more playing time at the keystone and the results were fascinating, for two reasons. First, his production at second was astronomically better than anything we’d seen before, posting a .320/.358/.620 line in the 14 games he started at the position from August 19 until the end of the year. Secondly, while enjoying career high production at second, he was still getting ample playing time at shortstop randomly throughout that period in time. The success he enjoyed at second was exclusive to that position. Through that same stretch of games starting in mid-August, he posted a .250/.288/.397 slash line at shortstop.

Had Flores surged offensively regardless of where he played, anyone could make the case that some other factor was involved in his breakout. Through that time though, the rather small sample size did indicate that he was more productive based on where he played defensively. Given the limited number of games at the position though, it would have been difficult for anyone to draw the conclusion that he was being unfairly judged on both sides of the ball as a shortstop. That is, until it happened again in 2015.

In 373 plate appearances as a shortstop last year (playoffs not included), Flores slashed out at .248/.283/.385. In all fairness, he hit 12 of his 16 home runs at that position, but given that 73% of his playing time came at short last year, it does make sense that 75% of his HR production came while playing there as well. What requires a deeper look though, is the fact that half of his 16 home runs came in the first two months of the season while playing short.

Starting in June though, after merely a few months of dealing with the daily grind at SS, his power completely fell off a cliff. In 51 remaining games he played exclusively at shortstop, from June onward, he went from a modest .423 slugging percentage through the month of May, down to .339 through the rest of year- at that position. By now, we’re seeing a pattern that- as a shortstop- the Mets are willingly conceding a large amount of production from one of their young, talented players. It was only a few years ago that he had a much higher offensive ceiling than what the overall stats are telling us now.

Simply put, the added physical demand of shortstop has consistently worn down his legs and drastically altered the production many expected to see. Just absolutely robbing his ability to drive the ball with authority. Looking at it from a more practical perspective, it still makes complete sense that a lengthy 6’3, 205 lb athlete, built more like a shooting guard than a baseball player, would experience a quicker onset of fatigue than a player built with a more compact and agile frame. Again, whether you prefer the stats or the eye test, both have consistently arrived at the same conclusion time and time again.

And how did he fare once taken off of shortstop last year? Well, the only other defensive position he played was second base and sure enough, he produced at a .305/.331/.469 clip and did so over 133 plate appearances. Again, not an overwhelming sample size, but we’re seeing a growing trend and coupled with ‘14’s production, we’re looking at a second baseman who produced a .302/.330/.500 slash line through 201 plate appearances up until the end of the 2015 season. 500 PA’s is typically the watermark for when players begin to round out to their average output, or at least that’s what the majority of baseball minds subscribe too, but what good is that when so many other variables have been inconsistent?

Also, this line from the 2013 scouting report stood out to me after reviewing the above results.

“His overall offensive profile could steady in the .280-.285 range with decent pop and a relatively low on-base percentage”.

Looking at his 2nd base production above, we see a high average, with an OBP that sits barely above it and a slugging percentage that is certainly representative of a player with “decent pop”. To me that’s a guy that prefers to make contact, but will drive the ball with excellent doubles power and above average home run power. To me, that’s Wilmer.

Now we turn the page to 2016, the year of the super-utility player, or at least what was the year of the super-utility player until David Wright’s season came to screeching halt yet again. Enter Flores at the hot corner, yet again, now with three seasons around the diamond under his belt.

At shortstop, we saw Wilmer make drastic improvements to his footwork, which subsequently led to a greater ability to make throws on the run, record outs on hard hit balls ranging away from him and most importantly, make sufficiently accurate throws across the diamond. To be clear, accuracy will likely never be a strength of his, but it never was for David Wright either. The latter was often times a beneficiary of first baseman who were long and created a large vacuum with their glove, particularly with picking throws out of the dirt (a skill Lucas Duda rarely gets the proper credit for). Similarly to the Captain though (circa 2004-2013), Flores has a very strong arm- dare we say stronger than David- and he’s shown that with it, he can compensate for many of his shortcomings.

This all matters for one reason, Flores clearly enjoys third base. There’s far less range to cover, which is significant considering he actually has a quick first step and can get horizontal on balls within that 2-3 step range in a heartbeat. At third base, that’ll work. Does it mean he’ll always make every play? No, but he’ll find a home with his glove and at times, manage to make the big plays. With that set in place, he can finally get consistent at-bats at a position that minimizes the drain on his legs, but still adds value to the team defensively. And how has he looked at the plate as a third baseman this year?

Following his recent resurgence, Wilmer now boasts a .287/.344/.504 slash line at the hot corner this year, good for an .848 OPS. Now, it was only last week that he was mired in arguably his worst slump of the season, but throughout this pattern of ups and downs, it seems that Flores has always required a bit of time to get acclimated before he heats up. Many have argued that Jose Reyes looming over his back has provided the added motivation. Maybe that is the case, but to be honest, we’ve seen the same results time and time again when he’s given both an ample number of repetitions to go along with a position he can manage.

When a player is young and cost-controlled, any value they can add is similar to playing with house money, reap enough of it and you’re really hitting the jackpot. Because of that, it’s imperative that the Mets give him an extended look at third. The sample size away from shortstop is still limited enough to disagree with the conclusion, but it’s no longer small enough to dismiss completely.

Furthermore, prior to his debut, scouts had a consensus view that is now in line with a lot of what we’re seeing at third and second. As excited as I was to see Jose suit up again, I’ve been watching Flores get the proverbial chair pulled out from underneath him for years now. As someone who never placed much of a future on him during his first few go-arounds, I’ve come around and now more than ever feel that it’s time to put him in a position to succeed.

With the signing of Jose Reyes, it was known that Wilmer Flores‘ time in the starting lineup would diminish. Flores though is doing everything he can to prove he deserves to continue to be an everyday player for this team.

For the second time in a span of four days, Flores had himself a two-homer game, helping his team take the rubber game against the Marlins by a score of 4-2. Flores knows that he is not in the most envious of positions with Reyes taking over third base duties but continues to show the team player he is.

Flores has been crushing it of late, and he’s not showing any signs of letting up. Over his last seven games he has hit to a .321/.333/.750 slash line with four homers, seven RBI and seven runs scored. Manager, Terry Collins did not expect Flores to go down without a fight.

“These guys are very proud. They don’t go down without a fight,” Collins said. “Flores came in here at the start of the season and was not playing very well in the backup role and having a tough time adjusting to it. David goes down, he’s playing third, he was doing OK. But all of a sudden we signed Jose, and he got hot.”

There is no guarantee going forward as to how much playing time Flores may see with Reyes said to be getting as many opportunities as possible to show what he can do. However he has made the most of the opportunity provided to him, yet again coming through when his job seemed to be in peril.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2016/07/wilmer-flores-continues-to-rake-with-starting-job-in-jeopardy.html/feed/0Wilmer Flores Explodes With Record 6-For-6 Game At The Platehttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2016/07/wilmer-flores-explodes-with-record-6-for-6-game-at-the-plate.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2016/07/wilmer-flores-explodes-with-record-6-for-6-game-at-the-plate.html/#commentsMon, 04 Jul 2016 11:00:15 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=216705

Wilmer Flores had an amazing day at the plate in the Mets’ 14-3 drubbing of the Chicago Cubs as the team completed their four-game sweep. Flores became the second Metropolitan to have six hits in one game, tying the record set by Edgardo Alfonzo on August 30, 1999.

“I’m not going to lie. My sixth at-bat I thought about it,” Flores later said about tying the franchise record. “I didn’t want to face a position player, but he threw one in the middle and I hit it. You go at-bat by at-bat. You start thinking about it when you hit your fifth, or fourth. Your first at-bat you never think that you’re going to get six hits.”

The Mets’ third-baseman demolished Cubs pitching all day in a 6-for-6 effort at the plate. Two home runs, four singles and four RBI encompassed Flores’ big day. He entered the game marred in an 0-for-14 slump in his prior four games. Flores improved his numbers with the one big day, now hitting to a .255/.317/.403 slash with five homers and 18 RBI on the season.

“It’s definitely a good feeling being part of history,” said Flores. “Unbelievable feeling. Six hits, I never thought I was going to get six hits ever.”

With Jose Reyes looming in Binghamton, Flores gave notice to the team that he is not going to go down without a fight. He has no reason to concede the position to the returning Reyes and showed no signs of doing so in Sunday’s win. Manager, Terry Collins knows that Flores is well aware of what is soon to come.

“Players are not naive. He’s heard, he’s read, he’s been told that Jose Reyes is playing third base and that’s he’s on his way here,” Collins said. “Wilmer, as I have seen from the past in him, [is] saying, ‘You know what? He’s going to have to [take] this job.’ He went out today and had a big day.”

Flores knows that he may be passed over to make way for the aging Reyes. He is looking to do everything in his power to make that decision for management just a little harder as he put in a career day at the plate. Flores has openly said this season how much easier it is for him to perform when he’s playing everyday, and the struggles that come with being a bench player.

Regardless of the day he had, Reyes is coming. Flores will soon find himself in the super utility role of playing around the infield and filling in for guys here and there. Not an ideal situation for Flores, who will look to continue his recent success as Jose readies himself in Binghamton.

The New York Mets (44-37) defeated the Chicago Cubs (51-30) by a score of 14-3 this afternoon at Citi Field, and in the process, completed the four game sweep over Chicago. However, the Nationals also won today, so the Mets were not able to make up any ground in the standings and remain five games back of Washington.

Offense:

After the Cubs got on the scoreboard first in the top of the first inning, the Mets answered right back as Curtis Granderson launched his 14th homer of the year to left field.

In the second inning, the Mets busted the game wide open as they tagged Cubs starter Jon Lester for seven more runs, and subsequently chased Lester from the game after only 1.1 innings.

Granderson drove in Lagares with a single, which put runners at the corners with still no outs for Yoenis Cespedes.

Cespedes chipped in with a single of his own to plate Syndergaard from third. 6-1 Mets.

Jon Lester threw a wild pitch, so the runners each moved up a base to put two runners in scoring position. Neil Walker and Wilmer Flores then each drove in a run in the next two at-bats to make it 8-1.

This was the straw that broke the camel’s back as Lester was pulled from the game. The veteran lefty surrendered eight runs and nine hits, while allowing three home runs in only 1.1 innings, the shortest outing of Lester’s career.

In the fourth inning, Rene Rivera drove in another run on a base hit to right to plate the Mets ninth run of the game.

Then in the fifth inning, the Mets broke double digits on a two-run home run from Wilmer Flores, the second of the game for Flores and fifth of the season.

Brandon Nimmo pinched hit for Yoenis Cespedes in the seventh and was hit by a pitch, which was followed by yet another big fly, this time from Kelly Johnson who was pinch hitting for Neil Walker. This would make it 13-1 Mets.

In the eighth inning, with position player Miguel Montero pitching, Wilmer Flores recorded his sixth hit of the game, which tied a franchise record set by Edgardo Alfonzo for hits in a game.

James Loney followed up Flores’ hit with an RBI single to bring home the fourteenth Mets run of the game.

Pitching:

With the offensive explosion today, you could forget how good of a game Noah Syndergaard tossed this afternoon. Syndergaard pitch seven strong innings, allowing just the one run in the first, while striking out eight and succeeding in not walking a batter.

Antonio Bastardo relieved Syndergaard in the eighth in a very low leverage situation (as it should be for Bastardo at this point). Bastardo allowed one hit, but did get through the eighth unscathed.

Logan Verrett came on to pitch the ninth, and quickly surrendered a solo homer to Willson Contreras, and a run to score later in the inning on a wild pitch, Verrett was finally able to seal the win for the Mets.

On deck:

The Mets start a three game series at home against the Miami Marlins starting tomorrow. Matt Harvey (4-10, 4.55 ERA) gets the ball for the opener, and is opposed by New Rochelle native Tom Koehler (6-7, 4.45 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 PM.

Asdrubal Cabrera, who left Sunday’s game against Colorado with a patella tendon strain in his left knee, will have an MRI on Monday according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag.

Additionally, as expected the Mets have called up Matt Reynolds from Triple-A Las Vegas.

We’ll know a lot more on the severity of the injury sometime this afternoon.

Original Report – Jul;y 31

Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera left this afternoon’s game after hurting his leg in the first inning while rounding third base to score on a Neil Walker triple.

Cabrera was able to limp home and score on the play, but after failing to make it back to the dugout on his own power, coaches carried him off the field. The Mets have announced that Cabrera has a strained patellar tendon in his left knee, although the severity of the injury remains unknown.

“He was in a lot of pain — a lot more than I’ve ever seen him,” Terry Collins said. “He’s had a couple of times so far this summer where it kind of flared up and we’d give him a day off and it seemed like he’d bounce back really good. I talked to him this morning and he felt great. So I’m really concerned right now.”

One of the few Mets to stay on the field consistently this season, Cabrera’s absence will likely signify more playing time for Wilmer Flores or possibly T.J. Rivera. Flores has been solid in limited action this season, batting .257 with 10 home runs in 221 plate appearances.

Perhaps another intriguing option for the Mets is shortstop prospect Gavin Cecchini. In Triple A, the 22-year old has slashed .315/.392/.437 with 39 walks and 40 strikeouts over 83 games this season. Even though the knock on Cecchini this year has been his defense, the young shortstop only has one error in his past 21 games.

However, all of that said, when asked about a potential promotion, manager Terry Collins didn’t hesitate and said Matt Reynolds would likely get the call. Reynolds batted .233 with a home run and six RBI in an earlier stint with the Mets this season.

From 2012 to 2014, Wilmer Flores hit over .300 in whichever level of the Mets minor league system he was in. In 2012 he hit .300 with 18 home runs and an .827 OPS at St. Lucie and Binghamton, two places notoriously known for being pitchers parks and leagues.

He was a top 100 prospect during those last three seasons in the minors, mostly because of his bat since we’re all convinced he’s not a top-notch defender. And by we, I mean you since I think he’s been more than serviceable moving around the diamond to fill whatever need was required.

He was signed as a 16-year old shortstop, played third base in 2012 then was moved to second. Throughout all of this, his bat never failed him. Last year in 140 games, he made a total of 14 errors but I’m sure that doesn’t matter to many because there are some advanced analytic stat out there that describes his lack of range.

Frankly, I don’t care about finding a stat like that because Wilmer Flores wasn’t brought up for his glove. He was a young bat that Milwaukee was willing to take along with a broken Zack Wheeler for an All-Star outfielder just over a year ago. And if you think that Flores wasn’t the centerpiece of that deal, think again.

No team with any sense banks on a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery, especially when he’s still in the middle of recovery. Period.

Just think about that. If Sandy Alderson was clearing house and moved, let’s just say Curtis Granderson, for a young prospect and a pitcher recently diagnosed with needing Tommy John surgery, we would all look at the prospect as the centerpiece of the deal.

With the recent signing of Jose Reyes to a minor league deal, everyone expects the 33-year old to play third base over Wilmer. Marc Carig of Newsday reported last week that the team will hold a private workout with Cuban defector Yulieski Gourriel.

It was this circumstance that allowed for Sandy Alderson to collect talent last year without a concern for the overall payroll. While both Kevin Kernan of the New York Post and our own Mets Daddy believe it’s time to sign Gourriel, I wonder what happens to Wilmer.

His bat in the lineup made sense to follow through with this Earl Weaver-ish team that the front office has put together for this year. In case you haven’t heard, the Hall of Fame manager’s motto was “It’s pitching, defense and the 3-run homer.” Well, the staff’s ERA of 3.17 is second in all of baseball and Jeurys Familia‘s 26 saves leads the league. Defensively, they’ve committed 39 errors, rank 12th with a .985 fielding percentage and Asdrubal Cabrera who’s defense, to quote Kristie Ackert of the Daily News is “considered just slightly above Flores”, has been proving scouts wrong according to Joe Giglio of NJ.com.

That just leaves the 3-run homer, something that this team is doing minus the three. This lineup is tied for seventh in the league with 96 home runs…which makes the league-worst .210 batting average with runners in scoring position hurt even more. They’ve only hit 14 RISP home runs, but despite these pathetic offensive numbers they remain within striking distance of first place in the NL East.

I predicted they would win the wild card, so despite the worries and concerns with the Braves I didn’t panic until last week when they finally lost their place atop the wild card standings. But as they head into a 14-game stretch against the Nationals, Cubs and the same Fish I considered a possible problem in February, the team is in a good position once Juan Lagares comes off the DL on July 1.

So Brandon Nimmo has a week to show why he should stay in the majors. I’m hoping he shines because it would make Alejandro De Aza expendable…well, more expendable then he already is.

He made sense as an extra outfielder before they signed Cespedes, but as a 5th option and bat off the bench De Aza has been horrible with a .169 batting average. I don’t get to watch many games, but seeing him fail to put down a sacrifice bunt and get doubled up because HE DIDN’T RUN IT OUT was the final straw.

Maybe a team is willing to part with a minor prospect for De Aza, but maybe it’s also time to cut ties with Flores as well. I’m clearly a big fan, but there’s not much room for him on the roster this year. If they do convince Gourriel to come to Queens, he’s either the third baseman for the near future, a second baseman that blocks the path of Dilson Herrera or the bridge between Lucas Duda and Dominic Smith at first.

Either way, that moves Wilmer to the back burner, destined to get moved then come back and haunt us like the aforementioned Carlos Gomez or Justin Turner, just to name two. Sadly, I don’t have a better answer for any of this. It’s a problem any team would want to have – too many quality players for too few positions. Just so long as De Aza isn’t part of the equation going forward.

With David Wright possibly shelved for the rest of this season after undergoing neck surgery, there has been talk of the New York Mets perhaps getting a third baseman. But as of now, manager Terry Collins said he will stick with Wilmer Flores, who has been the team’s best hitter over the last two weeks.

Flores has played regularly at third base since Wright went on the DL at the end of May and since June 1, he is batting .333 (16-for-48) with a .400 on-base percentage and .525 slugging. In that span he’s collected three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI while drawing five walks.

Still only 24, Flores made a fantastic defensive play on Sunday, catching a Jace Peterson foul pop up and holding on even while toppling on the tarp near the stands down the left-field line.

The Mets will continue to monitor the third-base market for a potential replacement for Wright but Collins is determined to bring some stability to the position and keep giving Flores opportunities.

“I know in the beginning, he was probably disappointed he wasn’t playing more,” said the Mets skipper. “But I’m not too sure bouncing around the infield didn’t affect him a little bit, too, so I’m going to leave him where he’s at.”

“That’s one of the benefits of having Kelly here,” Collins added. “We’ve got Matt who can certainly spell us at shortstop (and) we’ve got Kelly who can spell us at first and second, so I’m going to leave Flores where he’s at.”

The New York Mets (36-30) were defeated by the Atlanta Braves (21-46) by a score of 5-1 at Citi Field Friday evening.

Pitching:

Matt Harvey was not at his best tonight. After three sterling starts, Harvey struggled, especially putting innings away with two out. All in all, Harvey went six innings giving up four runs, walking two, and striking out five.

In the top of the fifth inning with the score still only 3-1, Harvey walked the leadoff hitter Mallex Smith. After getting Ender Inciarte to pop up to third baseman Kelly Johnson, Mallex Smith stole second base. Harvey faced what was seemingly the biggest threat in the Braves lineup in Freddie Freeman and struck him out to give the Mets their second out. With only an out left to get out of the inning, Nick Markakis laced a single into right field to give the Braves their fourth run of the game.

Antonio Bastardo came in to pitch the seventh inning and although he worked himself into and out of trouble he was able to pitch a scoreless inning.

Erik Goeddel was called on to pitch the eighth and he wasn’t very good. Goeddel walked Travis’s brother Chase d’Arnaud to lead off the inning. After getting A.J. Pierzynski to ground out, Erick Aybar smacked a single on a line drive to Yoenis Cespedes. Cespedes bobbled the ball and d’Arnaud was able to come around and score easily giving the Braves their fifth run of the game. Cespedes received an error on the play. Jerry Blevins came on and cleaned up the mess to get out of the inning.

Jerry Blevins and Hansel Robles were able to combine to pitch a scoreless ninth.

Offense:

Former Mets farmhand John Gant, who was making just his second big league start, was on the mound for the Braves tonight and he was fantastic. Gant recorded two outs in the seventh inning before departing only giving up two hits and one run. He frustrated the Mets offense all night.

In the first inning Curtis Granderson lead off the game with a double on a line drive to right field that went all the way to the wall. Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a groundout that was able to move Granderson over to third. Yoenis Cespedes was able to follow with a groundout of his own and Curtis Granderson broke for the plate on contact. Granderson scored easily. This would be the Mets only run of the game.

The Mets did make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh once Gant was out of the game. The Mets were able to load the bases with two outs however Wilmer Flores, who was called in to pinch hit, struck out on three pitches to end the threat.

Notes:

After leaving the game yesterday getting beamed in the wrist, Wilmer Flores was able to pinch hit tonight.

Travis d’Arnuad was sent to Las Vegas. D’Arnaud was expected to DH for the 51s tonight but catch Saturday and Sunday’s games. TDA should be activated with the big club early next week.

On Deck:

The Mets will play their second game of a three game series with the Atlanta Braves tomorrow evening at Citi Field. The game has a start time of 8:15 PM. Steven Matz (7-3, 2.71 ERA) will look to get the Mets back on track against righty Aaron Blair (0-4 7.59 ERA).